DOCSLIB.ORG

ALGOL, More Than Just ALGOL HT De Beer

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
ALGOL, More Than Just ALGOL HT De Beer ALGOL, more than just ALGOL HT de Beer∗ Abstract. The ALGOL 60 report is regarded as ‘highly influential’. In this article the history of the development of ALGOL 60 and its report is told to find out why this document was so influential. Introduction On May 20th, 2006, Peter Naur received the 2005 ACM Turing Award. This award is often regarded as the “Nobel Prize” in Computer Science. Naur was rewarded for his ‘pioneering work on defining the Algol 60 programming language. (...) [He] was editor in 1960 of the hugely influential ”Report on the Algorithmic Language Algol 60.” He is recognised for the report’s elegance, uniformity and coherence, and credited as an important contributor to the language’s power and simplicity.’1 More than forty-five years after the publication of the ALGOL 60 report it is still regarded as ‘hugely influential’. At the same time the ALGOL 60 programming language defined in the report is almost forgotten. Where other languages defined around 1960 are still in use today, like FORTRAN, LISP and COBOL, only ALGOL’s legacy is still with us, the language itself is long gone. In my Masters thesis on The History of the ALGOL Effort2 (2006) I argue that the ALGOL effort was a catalyst for the transformation of the field of compiler writing and programming languages into a scientific field. The ALGOL 60 report was the key to this transformation and this explains the influ- ence of the ALGOL 60 report: its scope was much wider than yet another algorithmic programming language, it was about the definition of programming languages in general. This generality of the ALGOL report was caused by the use of a new notation to define the syntax of programming languages: the BNF. The BNF was invented by John Backus in 1959 to define the syntax of the International Algebraic Language (IAL) and was used by Peter Naur for the definition of ALGOL 60. Apparently, using the BNF was the natural thing to do. Before, during, and after the ALGOL 60 meeting almost anything about ALGOL 60 was discussed in the ALGOL effort. The use of the BNF, however, was not a topic of discussion. Although the generality of the ALGOL 60 report explains the influence of the ALGOL 60 report, it does not explain where it came from. Why was the ALGOL 60 report about more than just ALGOL 60? To answer this question the origin and the development of ALGOL 60 is described from the start ∗Instituut voor Informatica, Universiteit van Amsterdam, The Netherlands, [email protected] 1ACM Pressroom, ‘Software Pioneer Peter Naur Wins ACM’s Turing Award. Dane’s Creative Genius Revolutionized Computer Language Design’ (2006), http://campus.acm.org/public/pressroom/press releases/3 2006/turing 3 01 2006.cfm 2HT de Beer, ‘The History of the ALGOL Effort’, Master’s thesis, Technische Universiteit Eindhoven (2006), http: //www.heerdebeer.org/ALGOL in the middle of the 1950s till the publication of the ALGOL 60 report in March 1960. The start of the ALGOL effort In October 1955, an international symposium on automatic computing was held in Darmstadt, Ger- many. In the 1950s, the term “automatic computing” referred to almost anything related to computing with a computer. During this symposium ‘several speakers stressed the need for focusing attention on unification, that is, on one universal, machine-independent algorithmic language to be used by all, rather than to devise several such languages in competition.’3 To meet this need the Gesellschaft fur¨ Angewandte Mathematik und Mechanik (GAMM; associa- tion for applied mathematics and mechanics) set up a subcommittee for programming languages. This committee consisted of eight members: Bauer, Bottenbruch, Graeff, Lauchli,¨ Paul, Penzlin, Rutishauser, and Samelson.4 In 1957, it had almost completed its task; instead of creating yet another algorithmic language, however, it was decided to ‘make an effort towards worldwide unification.’5 The need for a universal algorithmic language was not felt only in Europe. Some computer user organ- isations in the USA, like SHARE, USE, and DUO also wanted one standard programming language for describing algorithms. In 1957, they asked the Association of Computing Machinery (ACM) to form a subcommittee to study such a language.6 In June 1957, the committee was formed consisting of fifteen members from the industry, the universities, the users, and the federal government: Ar- den, Backus, Desilets, Evans, Goodman, Gorn, Huskey, Katz, McCarthy, Orden, Perlis, Rich, Rosen, Turanski, and Wegstein.7 Before this committee had held any meeting at all, a letter of the GAMM subcommittee was send to the president of the ACM to propose a joint meeting to create one international algebraic language8 instead of two different but similar languages. The ACM agreed and three preparatory meetings were held in the USA to create a proposal for the language. On the third meeting, held at Philadelphia, 18 April 1958, Bauer presented the GAMM proposal to the ACM subcommittee.9 Both proposals shared many features but the American proposal was more practical than the European counterpart that was more universal.10 The IAL meeting at Zurich¨ From May 27 to June 1, 1958, the proposed joint meeting was held at Zurich,¨ and was attended by F.L. Bauer, H. Bottenbruch, H. Rutishauser and K. Samelson from the GAMM subcommittee and by J. Backus, C. Katz, J. Perlis and J.H. Wegstein from the ACM counterpart. Although Bauer stated in his letter to the ACM that the GAMM subcommittee hoped ‘to expand the circle through representa- 3Heinz Rutishauser, Description of ALGOL 60, volume 1, edited by F. L. Bauer et al. (Springer-Verlag, 1967), p. 5. 4Peter Naur, ‘Transcripts of Presentations’, in: HOPL-1: The first ACM SIGPLAN conference on History of program- ming languages (New York, NY, USA: ACM Press, 1978), p. 148, Frame 3. 55 Rutishauser, Description of ALGOL 60 , p. 5. 6R. W. Bemer, ‘A Politico-Social History of Algol’, in: Mark I. Halpern and Christopher J. Shaw, editors, Annual review in automatic programming, volume 5 (London: Pergamon, 1969), p. 160. 7Alan J. Perlis, ‘The American side of the development of Algol’, in: HOPL-1: The first ACM SIGPLAN conference on History of programming languages (New York, NY, USA: ACM Press, 1978), pp. 4–5. 8Bemer, ‘A Politico-Social History of Algol’, p. 160. 9Perlis, ‘The American side of the development of Algol’, p. 5. 10Rutishauser, Description of ALGOL 60 , p. 5. 2 tives from England, Holland and Sweden’11, the joint meeting was attended by Americans, Germans and Swiss only. Nonetheless, international interest was growing, especially after the publication of the preliminary report on the new language in 1958.12 The discussions at the Zurich¨ meeting were based on the two proposals for the new language and it was decided that: 1. ‘The new language should be as close as possible to standard mathematical notation and be readable with little further explanation. 2. It should be possible to use it for the description of computing processes in publications. 3. The new language should be mechanically translatable into machine programs.’13 In addition, the language was to be machine independent: it was supposed to be designed with no particular machine in mind. Creating a language with these goals seemed a bit problematic: character sets available in hardware were much more limited than character sets needed in publications. In addition, there was an inter- national disagreement on the symbols to use. For example, the decimal point was problematic: the Americans were used to a period and the Europeans to a comma.14 To solve all these representational issues Wegstein proposed to define the language on three different levels of representation: reference, hardware and publication. With this ‘master stroke’15 the joint meeting ended successfully with the publication of the Preliminary Report: International Algebraic Language,16 IAL was born. Compared to other early algorithmic programming languages, like FORTRAN, IT, and MATH-MATIC, IAL did have some distinctive characteristics: it was designed by two committees at a joint meeting, it was the result of an international effort, and it was designed to be machine independent. On the other hand, IAL shared many features with these early algorithmic languages. There was a general agree- ment on what features an algorithmic language should contain: variables, assignment, expressions, selection, iteration, and maybe some sort of procedure concept. Despite different backgrounds, the proposals from the GAMM subcommittee and the ACM subcom- mittee were similar. Nevertheless, because of these different backgrounds, the two subcommittees did have different goals with the new language. The Europeans wanted a language for numerical work that could be implemented and run on European computing machines.17 Creating IAL was their first effort to create an higher level programming language and they tried to create a universal language from scratch. 11Bauer cited in Bemer, ‘A Politico-Social History of Algol’, p. 161. 12Rutishauser, Description of ALGOL 60, p. 6; Friedrich L. Bauer, ‘Die Algol-Verschworung’,¨ in: Hans Dieter Hellige, editor, Geschichten der Informatik. Visionen, Paradigmen, Leitmotive (Berlin: Springer, 2004), p. 246. 13A. J. Perlis and K. Samelson, ‘Preliminary Report: International Algebraic Language’, Commun. ACM 1:12 (1958), p. 9. 14Perlis, ‘The American side of the development of Algol’, p. 6. 15Ibid. 16Perlis and Samelson, ‘Preliminary report: IAL’ 17Alan J. Perlis, ‘Transcripts of Presentations’, in: HOPL-1: The first ACM SIGPLAN conference on History of pro- gramming languages (New York, NY, USA: ACM Press, 1978), p. 141. 3 The Americans, on the other hand, did have experience with the development and use of algorithmic programming languages. In fact, the existence of many similar but different algorithmic program- ming languages in the USA was the reason the ACM subcommittee was set up in the first place: they wanted to create a standard capturing all these different languages.
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Computing Versus Human Thinking
    By Peter Naur, recipient of ACM’s 2005 A.M. Turing Award Computing Versus Human Thinking n this presentation I shall give you an overview of efforts. Indeed, I have found that a large part of what Imy works from the past fifty years concerning the is currently said about human thinking and about sci- issue given in the title. Concerning this title I entific and scholarly activity is false and harmful to invite you to note particularly the middle word, ‘ver- our understanding. I realize that my presentation of sus’. This word points to the tendency of my efforts some of these issues may be offensive to you. This I around this theme, to wit, to clarify the contrast regret, but it cannot be avoided. between the two items, computing and human thinking. This tendency of my work has found its DESCRIPTION AS THE CORE ISSUE OF SCIENCE AND ultimate fulfilment in my latest result, which is a SCHOLARSHIP description of the nervous system showing that this The tone of critique and rejection of established system has no similarity whatever to a computer. ideas has its roots in my earliest activity, from its very It is ironic that my present award lecture is given beginning more than fifty years ago. Already in my under the title of Turing. As a matter of fact, one part work in astronomy, around 1955, a decisive item in of my work concerning computing and human think- my awareness came from Bertrand Russell’s explicit ing has been an explicit critique, or rejection, of the rejection of any notion of cause as a central issue of ideas of one prominent contribution from Alan Tur- scientific work.
    [Show full text]
  • An Early Program Proof by Alan Turing F
    An Early Program Proof by Alan Turing F. L. MORRIS AND C. B. JONES The paper reproduces, with typographical corrections and comments, a 7 949 paper by Alan Turing that foreshadows much subsequent work in program proving. Categories and Subject Descriptors: 0.2.4 [Software Engineeringj- correctness proofs; F.3.1 [Logics and Meanings of Programs]-assertions; K.2 [History of Computing]-software General Terms: Verification Additional Key Words and Phrases: A. M. Turing Introduction The standard references for work on program proofs b) have been omitted in the commentary, and ten attribute the early statement of direction to John other identifiers are written incorrectly. It would ap- McCarthy (e.g., McCarthy 1963); the first workable pear to be worth correcting these errors and com- methods to Peter Naur (1966) and Robert Floyd menting on the proof from the viewpoint of subse- (1967); and the provision of more formal systems to quent work on program proofs. C. A. R. Hoare (1969) and Edsger Dijkstra (1976). The Turing delivered this paper in June 1949, at the early papers of some of the computing pioneers, how- inaugural conference of the EDSAC, the computer at ever, show an awareness of the need for proofs of Cambridge University built under the direction of program correctness and even present workable meth- Maurice V. Wilkes. Turing had been writing programs ods (e.g., Goldstine and von Neumann 1947; Turing for an electronic computer since the end of 1945-at 1949). first for the proposed ACE, the computer project at the The 1949 paper by Alan M.
    [Show full text]
  • Internet Engineering Jan Nikodem, Ph.D. Software Engineering
    Internet Engineering Jan Nikodem, Ph.D. Software Engineering Theengineering paradigm Software Engineering Lecture 3 The term "software crisis" was coined at the first NATO Software Engineering Conference in 1968 by: Friedrich. L. Bauer Nationality;German, mathematician, theoretical physicist, Technical University of Munich Friedrich L. Bauer 1924 3/24 The term "software crisis" was coined at the first NATO Software Engineering Conference in 1968 by: Peter Naur Nationality;Dutch, astronomer, Regnecentralen, Niels Bohr Institute, Technical University of Denmark, University of Copenhagen. Peter Naur 1928 4/24 Whatshouldbe ourresponse to software crisis which provided with too little quality, too late deliver and over budget? Nationality;Dutch, astronomer, Regnecentralen, Niels Bohr Institute, Technical University of Denmark, University of Copenhagen. Peter Naur 1928 5/24 Software should following an engineering paradigm NATO conference in Garmisch-Partenkirchen, 1968 Peter Naur 1928 6/24 The hope is that the progress in hardware will cure all software ills. The Oberon System User Guide and Programmer's Manual. ACM Press Nationality;Swiss, electrical engineer, computer scientist ETH Zürich, IBM Zürich Research Laboratory, Institute for Media Communications Martin Reiser 7/24 However, a critical observer may notethat software manages to outgrow hardware in size and sluggishness. The Oberon System User Guide and Programmer's Manual. ACM Press Nationality;Swiss, electrical engineer, computer scientist ETH Zürich, IBM Zürich Research Laboratory, Institute for Media Communications Martin Reiser 8/24 Wirth's computing adage Software is getting slower more rapidly than hardware becomes faster. Nationality;Swiss, electronic engineer, computer scientist ETH Zürich, University of California, Berkeley, Stanford University University of Zurich. Xerox PARC.
    [Show full text]
  • Structured Programming A.P.I.C
    ¢ . , v'~.1 c: STRUCTURED PROGRAMMING A.P.I.C. Studies in Data Processing General Editor: C. A. R. Hoare 1. Some Commercial Autocodes. A Comparative Study E. L. WiUey, A. d'Agapeyeff, Marion Tribe, B. J. Gibbens and Michelle Clarke. 2. A Primer of ALGOL 60 Programming E. W. Dijkstra 3. Input Language for Automatic Programming A. P. Yershov, G. I. Kozhukhin and U. Voloshin 4. Introduction to System Programming Edited by Peter Wegner 5. ALGOL 60 Implementation. The translation and use of Algol 60 Programs on a Computer B. RandeU and L. J. Russell 6. Dictionary for Computer Languages Hans Breuer 7. The Alpha Automatic Programming System Edited by A. P. Yershov 8. Structured Programming O.-J. Dahl, E. W. Dijkstra and C. A. R. Hoare In preparation Operating Systems Techniques Edited by C. A. R. Hoare and R. H. Perrott A.P.I.C. Studies in Data Processing No. 8 STRUCTURED PROGRAMMING O.-J. DAHL Universitet i Oslo, Matematisk Institut, Blindern, Oslo, Norway E. W. DIJKSTRA Department of Mathematics, Technological University, Eindhoven, The Netherlands C. A. R. HOARE Department of Computer Science, The Queen's University of Belfast, Belfast, Northern Ireland 1972 ACADEMIC PRESS LONDON AND NEW YORK ACADEMIC PRESS INC. (LONDON) LTD. 24]28 Oval Road, London NW1 United States Edition published by ACADEMIC PRESS INC. 111 Fifth Avenue New York, New York 10003 Copyright © 1972 by ACADEMIC PRESS INC. (LONDON) LTD. Second printing 1973 All Rights Reserved No part of this book may be reproduced in any form by photostat, microfilm, or any other means, without written permission from the publishers Library of Congress Catalog Card Number: 72-84452 ISBN: 0--12-200550-3 PRINTED IN GREAT BRITAIN BY WHITSTABLE LITHO~ STRAKER BROTHERS LTD.
    [Show full text]
  • Ebook Download Pluralism in Software Engineering : Turing
    PLURALISM IN SOFTWARE ENGINEERING : TURING AWARD WINNER PETER NAUR EXPLAINS PDF, EPUB, EBOOK Edgar G Daylight | 134 pages | 19 Oct 2011 | Lonely Scholar | 9789491386008 | English | none Pluralism in Software Engineering : Turing Award Winner Peter Naur Explains PDF Book Ludwig Wittgenstein, by contrast, opposed a rational metaphysical view to our now digital world. By penetrating deeply into the research of William James, Naur gradually developed his own theory of how mental life is like at the neural level of the nervous system. Peter Straub Books. In he received his PhD in astronomy and in he joined the staff of Regnecentralen, specializing in high-level programming languages. Proteomics 14 , , Sort order. Refresh and try again. People in the automotive industry who have patience with my philosophical reflections often end up falling into Dreyfus's trap by saying the following:. Packaging should be the same as what is found in a retail store, unless the item is handmade or was packaged by the manufacturer in non-retail packaging, such as an unprinted box or plastic bag. The flight management system for an Airbus A is software. Want to Read saving…. Lists with This Book. Todos tus libros Pluralism in Software Engineering. Our general desire to make AI more aware of the world as a whole instead of a set of rules notwithstanding, let's remember that adding rules to the training set for every new situation is more or less what happened with evolution. Steven Chang marked it as to-read Nov 18, Help Privacy Terms. Friday, July 24, Available from Amazon and many other stores.
    [Show full text]
  • Halting Problems: a Historical Reading of a Paradigmatic Computer Science Problem
    PROGRAMme Autumn workshop 2018, Bertinoro L. De Mol Halting problems: a historical reading of a paradigmatic computer science problem Liesbeth De Mol1 and Edgar G. Daylight2 1 CNRS, UMR 8163 Savoirs, Textes, Langage, Universit´e de Lille, [email protected] 2 Siegen University, [email protected] 1 PROGRAMme Autumn workshop 2018, Bertinoro L. De Mol and E.G. Daylight Introduction (1) \The improbable symbolism of Peano, Russel, and Whitehead, the analysis of proofs by flowcharts spearheaded by Gentzen, the definition of computability by Church and Turing, all inventions motivated by the purest of mathematics, mark the beginning of the computer revolution. Once more, we find a confirmation of the sentence Leonardo jotted despondently on one of those rambling sheets where he confided his innermost thoughts: `Theory is the captain, and application the soldier.' " (Metropolis, Howlett and Rota, 1980) Introduction 2 PROGRAMme Autumn workshop 2018, Bertinoro L. De Mol and E.G. Daylight Introduction (2) Why is this `improbable' symbolism considered relevant in comput- ing? ) Different non-excluding answers... 1. (the socio-historical answers) studying social and institutional developments in computing to understand why logic, or, theory, was/is considered to be the captain (or not) e.g. need for logic framed in CS's struggle for disciplinary identity and independence (cf (Tedre 2015)) 2. (the philosophico-historical answers) studying history of computing on a more technical level to understand why and how logic (or theory) are in- troduced in the computing practices { question: is there something to com- puting which makes logic epistemologically relevant to it? ) significance of combining the different answers (and the respective approaches they result in) ) In this talk: focus on paradigmatic \problem" of (theoretical) computer science { the halting problem Introduction 3 PROGRAMme Autumn workshop 2018, Bertinoro L.
    [Show full text]
  • The Programmer As a Young Dog
    The Programmer as a Young Dog (1976) This autobiographical sketch describes the beginning of the author’s career at the Danish computer company Regnecentralen from 1963 to 1970. (The title is inspired by James Joyce’s “A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man” and Dylan Thomas’s “Portrait of the Artist as a Young Dog.”) After three years in Regnecentralen’s compiler group, the author got the chance to design the architecture of the RC 4000 computer. In 1967, he became Head of the Software Development group that designed the RC 4000 multiprogramming system. The article was written in memory of Niels Ivar Bech, the dynamic director of Regnecentralen, who inspired a generation of young Danes to make unique contributions to computing. I came to Regnecentralen in 1963 to work with Peter Naur and Jrn Jensen. The two of them worked so closely together that they hardly needed to say anything to solve a problem. I remember a discussion where Peter was writing something on the blackboard, when Jrn suddenly said “but Peter ...” and immediately was interrupted with the reply “yes, of course, Jrn.” I swear that nothing else was said. It made quite an impression on me, especially since I didn’t even know what the discussion was about in the rst place. After a two-year apprenticeship as a systems programmer, I wanted to travel abroad and work for IBM in Winchester in Southern England. At that time Henning Isaksson was planning to build a process control computer for Haldor Topse, Ltd. Henning had asked Niels Ivar Bech for a systems programmer for quite some time.
    [Show full text]
  • Report on the Algorithmic Language ALGOL 60
    Reprinted from the COMMUNICATIONS OF THE ASSOCIATION FOR COMPUTING MACHINERY Vol. 3, No.5, May 1960 Made in U.S.A. With tYPographical corrections as of June ~8, 1980 Report on the Algorithmic Language ALGOL 60 PETER NAUR (Editor) J. W. BACKUS C. KATZ H. RUTISHAUSER J. H. WEGSTEIN F.L.BAUER J. MCCARTHY K. SAMELSON A. VAN WIJNGAARDEN J. GREEN A. J. PERLIS B. VAUQUOIS M. WOODGER Dedicated to the Memory of WILLIAM TURANSKI INTRODUCTION Background Meanwhile, in the United States, anyone who wished to After the publication of a preliminary report on the suggest changes or corrections to ALGOL was requested to send his comments to the ACM Communications where algorithmic language ALGOL,!' 2 as prepared at a conference in Zurich in 1958, much interest in the ALGOL language they were published. These comments then became the developed. basis of consideration for changes in the ALGOL language. As a result of an informal meeting held at Mainz in Both the SHARE and USE organizations established November 1958, about forty interested persons from ALGOL working groups, and both organizations were several European countries held an ALGOL implementation represented on the ACM Committee on Programming conference in Copenhagen in February 1959. A "hardware Languages. The ACM Committee met in Washington in group" was formed for working cooperatively right down November 1959 and considered all comments on ALGOL to the level of the paper tape code. This conference also that had been sent to the ACM Communications. Also, led to the publication by Regnecentralen, Copenhagen, of seven representatives were selected to attend the January an ALGOL Bulletin, edited by Peter Naur, which served 1960 international conference.
    [Show full text]
  • Oral History Interview with David J. Wheeler
    An Interview with DAVID J. WHEELER OH 132 Conducted by William Aspray on 14 May 1987 Princeton, NJ Charles Babbage Institute The Center for the History of Information Processing University of Minnesota, Minneapolis Copyright, Charles Babbage Institute 1 David J. Wheeler Interview 14 May 1987 Abstract Wheeler, who was a research student at the University Mathematical Laboratory at Cambridge from 1948-51, begins with a discussion of the EDSAC project during his tenure. He compares the research orientation and the programming methods at Cambridge with those at the Institute for Advanced Study. He points out that, while the Cambridge group was motivated to process many smaller projects from the larger university community, the Institute was involved with a smaller number of larger projects. Wheeler mentions some of the projects that were run on the EDSAC, the user-oriented programming methods that developed at the laboratory, and the influence of the EDSAC model on the ILLIAC, the ORDVAC, and the IBM 701. He also discusses the weekly meetings held in conjunction with the National Physical Laboratory, the University of Birmingham, and the Telecommunications Research Establishment. These were attended by visitors from other British institutions as well as from the continent and the United States. Wheeler notes visits by Douglas Hartree (of Cavendish Laboratory), Nelson Blackman (of ONR), Peter Naur, Aad van Wijngarden, Arthur van der Poel, Friedrich L. Bauer, and Louis Couffignal. In the final part of the interview Wheeler discusses his visit to Illinois where he worked on the ILLIAC and taught from September 1951 to September 1953. 2 DAVID J.
    [Show full text]
  • A Programmer's Story. the Life of a Computer Pioneer
    A PROGRAMMER’S STORY The Life of a Computer Pioneer PER BRINCH HANSEN FOR CHARLES HAYDEN Copyright c 2004 by Per Brinch Hansen. All rights reserved. Per Brinch Hansen 5070 Pine Valley Drive, Fayetteville, NY 13066, USA CONTENTS Acknowledgments v 1 Learning to Read and Write 1938–57 1 Nobody ever writes two books – My parents – Hitler occupies Denmark – Talking in kindergarten – A visionary teacher – The class newspaper – “The topic” – An elite high school – Variety of teachers – Chemical experiments – Playing tennis with a champion – Listening to jazz – “Ulysses” and other novels. 2 Choosing a Career 1957–63 17 Advice from a professor – Technical University of Denmark – rsted’s inuence – Distant professors – Easter brew – Fired for being late – International exchange student – Masers and lasers – Radio talk — Graduation trip to Yugoslavia – An attractive tourist guide – Master of Science – Professional goals. 3 Learning from the Masters 1963–66 35 Regnecentralen – Algol 60 – Peter Naur and Jrn Jensen – Dask and Gier Algol – The mysterious Cobol 61 report – I join the compiler group – Playing roulette at Marienlyst resort – Jump- starting Siemens Cobol at Mogenstrup Inn – Negotiating salary – Compiler testing in Munich – Naur and Dijkstra smile in Stock- holm – The Cobol compiler is nished – Milena and I are married in Slovenia. 4 Young Man in a Hurr 1966–70 59 Naur’s vision of datalogy – Architect of the RC 4000 computer – Programming a real-time system – Working with Henning Isaks- son, Peter Kraft, and Charles Simonyi – Edsger Dijkstra’s inu- ence – Head of software development – Risking my future at Hotel Marina – The RC 4000 multiprogramming system – I meet Edsger Dijkstra, Niklaus Wirth, and Tony Hoare – The genius of Niels Ivar Bech.
    [Show full text]
  • Revised Report on the Algorithmic Language Algol 60
    Revised Report on the Algorithmic Language Algol 60 By J.W. Backus, F.L. Bauer, J.Green, C. Katz, J. McCarthy P. Naur, A.J. Perlis, H. Rutishauser, K. Samelson, B. Vauquois J.H. Wegstein, A. van Wijngaarden, M. Woodger Edited by Peter Naur Dedicated to the memory of William Turanski Summary. The report gives a complete defining description of the international algorithmic language Algol 60. This is a language suitable for expressing a large class of numerical processes in a form sufficiently concise for direct automatic translation into the language of programmed automatic computers. The introduction contains an account of the preparatory work leading up to the final conference, where the language was defined. In addi- tion the notions reference language, publication language, and hardware representations are explained. In the first chapter a survey of the basic constituents and features of the language is given, and the formal notation, by which the syntactic structure is defined, is explained. The second chapter lists all the basic symbols, and the syntactic units known as identifiers, numbers, and strings are defined. Further some important notions such as quantity and value are defined. The third chapter explains the rules for forming expressions and the meaning of these expressions. Three different types of expressions exist: arithmetic, Boolean (logical), and designational. The fourth chapter describes the operational units of the language, known as statements. The basic statements are: assignment statements (evalu- ation of a formula), go to statements (explicit break of the sequence of execution of statements), dummy statements, and procedure statements (call for execution of a closed process, defined by a procedure declaration).
    [Show full text]
  • Wirth Transcript Final
    A. M. Turing Award Oral History Interview with Niklaus Wirth by Elena Trichina ETH, Zürich, Switzerland March 13, 2018 Trichina: My name is Elena Trichina. It is my honor to interview Professor Niklaus Wirth for the Turing Award Winners Project of the Association for Computing Machinery, the ACM. The Turing Award, sometimes referred to as “the Nobel Prize of computing,” is given annually for major contributions of lasting importance in computing. Professor Wirth received his award in 1984 in recognition of his outstanding work in developing a sequence of programming languages – Euler, Algol-W, Pascal, Modula. The hallmarks of Wirth’s languages are their simplicity, economy of design, and high-level engineering. We will talk about it and many other things later today in the interview that takes place on the 13th of March, 2018, in the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology. So we start. Ready? Guten Tag, Niklaus. Gruetzi. Wirth: Добрый ден, Елена Василевна Здравствуи [Good morning, Elena. Hello. – ed.] Trichina: Well, although your command of Russian is sufficient, my command of Swiss German is a little bit rudimentary. Shall we continue in one of the languages where we both feel comfortable? What would it be? French? English? Wirth: Oh, I think English is better for me. Yes, yes. Trichina: Okay. It’s probably better for the audience. [laughs] Wirth: Okay. True. Trichina: Okay. We continue in English. Here in front of me there is a list of the most important days in your life. You were born in February 1934 in Winterthur, which is a sort of middle-size industrial town in Switzerland.
    [Show full text]